Laboratory equipment used in in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) often includes complicated, highly specialized, sensitive equipment that require specialized knowledge and training to operate and even more specialized knowledge and training to repair and maintain. Unscheduled, instrument downtime in the laboratory may be a cause of lost productivity for a customer/operator. Furthermore, IVD equipment is often used in hospital environments where quick sample turnaround time and high sample throughput is needed to keep hospital operations working. When an IVD instrument becomes damaged, encounters an error, or requires maintenance, the potential downtime of the instrument can be a serious problem.
Traditional service procedures for IVD equipment follow the traditional technical service escalation protocols, which can be slow in recovering from an error or getting critical equipment up and running in an efficient manner. For other technical fields, support escalation protocols may be sufficient, but the potential downtime in a lab can be unacceptable. For example, customers may first attempt to troubleshoot the issue or repair themselves. If unsuccessful, then the customer can call the Technical Support Center (TSC). Unfortunately, the aid is generally limited to verbal communication. The TSC may verbally describe a repair, while the customer must interpret the instructions over the phone. If more intensive action is needed, then a Field Service Engineer (FSE) may be dispatched to the customer site. This dispatch process may take several hours or days before a service visit is complete. During this time, the customer's instrument may be down or non-functional.